A distributed water infrastructure may include any arrangement of conduits for supplying plumbing fixtures, appliances, storage devices, treatment devices, or any other device that receives water. For example, a distributed water infrastructure may include the pipes and/or other conduits of a city, a neighborhood, a complex of buildings, a building, a floor, and a room. A distributed water infrastructure may also include a collection of conduits within a room. In an industrial, commercial, or residential setting, the conduits in individual areas of a single floor might each be considered a separate distributed water infrastructure. Alternatively, multiple contiguous or non-contiguous conduits might be considered a single distributed water infrastructure.
The distributed water infrastructure may be essential to many commercial and private activities. The continued use of a distributed water infrastructure runs the risk of leaks and the unknowing waste of water. In some instances, users of a distributed water infrastructure do not realize a leak is occurring until it is too late to prevent damage to buildings and the waste of large amounts of water. In many instances, users may not know how water in a distributed water infrastructure is being used, and are unable to discern what are the sources of water waste if the leaks are slow. At times, the process of determining what appliance may be leaking may be difficult.
Because it can be difficult to know how water is being used, there remains an opportunity to track water to determine if water is stolen or wasted. As water is essential to human health, greater information on the use of water may also enable the ability to check on the health of remote persons, to see if they are alive, brushing their teeth, or doing other health-related activities. Additional detail about various water usage by employing high resolution sensors may provide solutions to these problems.
It may therefore be desirable to employ methods and systems for monitoring the use of water in a distributed water infrastructure. Such a system may enable greater control over a property's water system, may enable greater water savings by reducing unnecessary expenses, and may enable better alerts regarding any potentially damaging water situation.